Fence-fabric stretcher



(No Model.) 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P- & J. SUMMER. FENCE FABRIC STRETGHER. No. 566,031. Patented Aug 18, 1896.

JY Zrfif Wines-sea,- v/

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER SOMMER AND J OHN SOMMER, OF TREMONT, ILLINOIS.

FENCE-FABRIC STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,031, dated August 18, 1896.

Fabric Stretchers; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fence-fabric stretchers by means of which a stretcher is provided being simple in construction, effective in operation, durable, and cheap in first cost.

More particularly our invention relates to that class of stretchers'purposed to be used for stretching fence fabric preparatory to securing the same to posts and to cause it to bear in a horizontal line with sufficient tension to prevent it sagging before securing it to the said posts.

Our invention consists, essentially, of clamping-bars purposed to be bolted to or otherwise secured in connection with the fabric, so as to cause it to have a firm hold thereon; of suitable frame mechanism in connection therewith to provide for the carrying of the said clamping-bars and other auxiliary elements thereof or connected therewith; of two independent winding-shafts (a single winding-shaft, however, may be used) suitably journaled within the general framework of the stretcher to provide for their turning; of suitable chains secured to the said shaft or shafts, which are purposed to connect with a post and to be wound upon the said shaft, and of suitable mechanism for turning the said bar or bars to cause such winding thereon of the chains, and of other features of construction hereinafter more particularly described.

That our invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a section of fencing fabric with our device applied in a proper position to stretch the fabric. Fig. 2 is a plan view of our stretching device. Fig. 3 is an edge View of the same. Fig. 4 is a detailed view of a portion of the stretcher, showing an operat Application filed ry 19, 1895- Serial No. 535,493. (No model.)

ing-lever in connection therewith. Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the line a; 00 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is also a sectional view through the said lines w a: of Fig. 4, but shows a slight modification of a detailed part from that shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 shows a modified form of our device. Fig. 8 is a detail of the same. Fig. 9 is also a detail view.

In the figures, a and b are clamping jaws or bars between which the fabric is purposed to be passed and then secured by drawing the said bars into close impinging relation therewith by means of bolts, as 2' 'i, or by other suitable mechanism.

a a and a a are rearwardly-extending frame parts, the forward ends of each being bolted securely to the clamping-bar a.

a is a bracing-bar, the extremities thereof bolted securely to the clamping-bar a and at intermediate points to the rearwardly-extending parts a a? and a a 0 c are shafts supported in circular boxes in the rear extremities of extensions a a to provide for their turning.

d d are ratchet-wheels keyed upon the inner extremities of the said shafts c c in such a manner that the outer faces thereof are in close relation, but not in contact with each other, and so that the ratchets upon their circumferences are held in matched relation, relatively, by means of suitable dogs. e e are dogs fulcrumed upon pin g, suitably connected with the framework and bearing with one end of each in engaging relation with the ratchets upon the said ratchet-wheels d d, and each provided at their rear extremities with the adjustable mechanism consisting of the bolts 0, provided with the nut m, and the coil-spring t bearing between the rear ends of the said dogs and the frame part f, to provide for the said dogs, or the free ends thereof, having a close bearing relation with the surfaces of the said ratchet-wheels.

n n are chains bolted upon or properly secured to the said winding-shafts c c, as shown in Fig. 2, it being purposed that the said chains shall bear in the diagonal direction shown in the said figure and that they be connected with a post.

A is a lever or bar provided with the hooks B B, bolted upon either side thereof.

5 s are dogs pivoted upon pin or bolt 11', and

are purposed to engage the ratchet-wheels-d (Z, there being provided the adjustable mechanism in connection therewith or with the rear extremities thereof, consisting of the bolt I from such bearing relation with said ratchetwheel and disengaged entirely therefrom by downward screwing of the thumb-screws 00, which will cause the rear ends of the said dogs to be depressed. Y

The operating-lever A is made'detachable from the main stretcherstructure, for convenience, and is applied, as shown in the drawings, by causing the hooks B B to bear over and around the shafts c c on either side of the ratchet-wheels dd, and in such amanner that thedogs s s will engage the ratchets on the said wheels. 4

v The application of the stretcher to practical use is very simple. The fencing fabric being passed between the clamping-bars a and b, said bars are bolted or otherwise caused to bear together in such a manner as to firmly hold the fabric. The chains 42 n are secured to an adjacent post, the connection being made one chain with the lower part of the post and the other with the upperv portion thereof. The operating-leverAis connected with the stretcher proper in the manner shown in the drawings, and by a forward actuation of the said lever, with the dogs .9 3 thereof engaging the ratchets on the ratchet-wheels d d, the said ratchet-wheels willbe turned, and with them thewinding-shafts c c, which will cause the chains n n to be wound upon the shaft, which will cause the stretcherframework to bear rearwardly, carrying with it the fencing fabric, the dogs e e on the stretcher-framework preventing any backward turning of the ratchet wheels or shafts when the lever A or the dogs thereon release the ratchet-wheels, this operation being continued until the fabric has been drawn with sufficient tension to accommodate the properbearing thereof, the fabric being then secured to the posts in such a manner as to prevent any slacking movement when the stretching device is detached; In the event that the fabric is drawn with uniform tension-that is, so that all parts or line-wires thereof are drawn in such a manner. as to provide the same tension throughoutthe operation of stretching will be continued by turning both of. the winding-shafts c at the same time; but

in the event that any one part of the fabric,

either the upper or lower portion thereof,

should be drawn with less tension than the other part the stretcher may be operated to draw up just that part of the fabric without affecting the other part until an equal tension is obtained. This is accomplished by merely depressing the rear end of one of the dogs or lever A by screwing downwardly the thumbscrew 0: until the other end of the said dog is relieved from engagement with the ratchetwheel upon the winding-shaft not purposed to be turned, and then by operating the lever A only that winding-shaft will be turned that is opposite that portion of the fabric which is loose and which part it is desired should be drawn up tighter.

In the construction of our stretcher we may employ a single winding-shaft, if desired, instead of two independent shafts, the chains being connected therewith in the same manner as when two are employed, and in such case but one ratchet-wheel need be used, and therefore only one dog, as c, on the stretcherframework and one dog upon the operatingbar, but we prefer to construct the stretcher in the manner shown in the drawings.

We claim- 3 1. In a fence-fabric stretcher, the combination, with aframe provided with means for engaging a fabric, of a shaft journaled'in said frame and having chains attached thereto designed to be wound thereon and connected alsowith an external stationary object, and a lever provided with means forengaging the bar and also with means for turning the same,

substantially as shown.

2. In a fence-fabric stretcher, the combination, with a supporting-frame, of a pair of clamping bars or jaws provided with means for clamping the same upon a fabric, and a shaft journaled in said frame provided with a ratchet-wheel and having chains attached thereto and to an external stationary object, and a lever provided with means for engaging the bar and the ratchet-wheel thereon, for the purpose of turning the bar, substantially as shown.

3. In a fence-fabric stretcher, the combination, with-a frame provided with means for engaging a fabric, ofvtwo independently or conjointly actuated winding-shafts, having chains attached thereto and to an external object,-.and a lever, provided with means for engaging both of, the bars or one of them at a time, to actuate them conjointly or independently as may be desired, substantially as described.

4. In a fence-fabric stretcher, having a general frame provided with means for engaging a fabric, the combination, of two independent shafts, j ournaled in the frame, having chains connected therewith and designed to be wound thereon and also connected with an external stationary object, and a lever provided with means for independently engaging both shafts at the same time and also with means for independent engagement of means on each shaft provided to be engaged thereby to actuate the shafts simultaneously uniformly or one at a time, substantially as shown.

5. In a fence-fabric stretcher, the combina- IIO tion, of a general frame structure, a pair of jaws for engaging a fabric, two shafts journaled in the framework, and each provided with a ratchet-wheel and with a chain attached and also attached to an external stationary object and a lever provided with means for engaging both shafts at the same time and also with means for engagement with the ratchet-wheels or the shaftsseparately and for actuating them simultaneously, and uniformly or one at a time, substantially as shown and described.

6. A fence-fabric stretcher, consisting of the combination, of a frame, a pair of clamping-bars supported in connection with the frame, two independently or conjointly actuated Winding-shafts suitably supported for turning, having chains attached thereto and to an external stationary object and a lever provided with means for engaging and actuating the shafts separately or together simultaneously and uniformly, substantially as described and shown.

7. In a fence-fabric stretcher, the combination, with a pair of clamping-bars of two independently or conjointly actuated windingshafts'having chains attached thereto and a lever provided with means for engaging both shafts and also with means for actuating the shafts independently or conjointly and uniformly, to wind the chains thereon, all substantially as described and shown.

8. In a fence-fabric stretcher, the combination, with a shaft journaled in the stretcherframework and having chains attached thereto and having a ratchet-wheel fixed thereon, of a bar or lever provided with hooks for bearing over the shaft and with a spring-actuated dog for engaging the ratchet-Wheel on the shaft, all substantially as described. and shown.

9. In a fence-fabric stretcher, the combination of the clamping mechanism for engaging a fabric suitably supported in connection with the general stretcher-framework, two independent winding-shafts suitably journaled with the said general stretcher-framework and provided upon adjacent extremities with ratchet-wheels and having chains, one connected with each of said windingshafts and an operating-lever, provided with suitable dogs for engaging thesaid ratchetwheels for causing the said winding-shafts to be turned to wind the chains thereon, all substantially as described and shown.

10. In afence-fabric stretcher, the combination, of the clamp-bars a, b, suitably supported in the stretcher-framework, the windingshafts c, c, journaled in the stretcher-framework: and having the chains 01, 41, attached thereto and the ratchet-Wheels d, d, fixed upon adjacent ends thereof, and the bar or lever A, having the hooks B, B, for bearing over the shafts c, c, and with adjustable and spring-actuated dogs for engaging the ratchetwheels conjointly or independently, all substantially as described and shown.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

PETER SOMMER. JOHN SOMMER. Witnesses:

CHAS. W. LA PORTE, W. V. TEFFT. 

